About Cornish Wrestling

What is Cornish Wrestling?

Cornish Wrestling, or "wrasslin" as we call it, is an ancient form
of one-on-one combat, similar in style to many other forms of Celtic wrestling.
It certainly has no similarity with the wrestling seen on TV where entertainment
rather than competitiveness is the aim. Similar to Judo, and unlike most
other Celtic styles, a jacket is used which enables opponents to gain a
hold of each other. An important feature of this style, apart from the
short canvass jacket [slide 1], is that there is no groundwork (wrestling
whilst on the ground) whatsoever.

How do you do Cornish Wrestling?

Lets first check out the equipment and play area. Equipment is simple,
shorts and a strong canvass or hessian jacket. No boots or shoes are allowed
in the Cornish style. The play area is any flat grassed area about the
size of a tennis court.right

To be a formal bout, referees are required. In Cornish Wrestling these
are known as "sticklers". That word has found its way into the English
language to describe someone who is very strict in judgement and application
of rules. A fitting usage, I believe. There are normally three sticklers,
usually retired wrestlers who, as the name suggests carry a stick each.
I"m told that this was originally as a form of crowd control, in times
when the sport was at its most popular. I can"t say I"ve ever seen that,
but the onlookers certainly become animated when two or more sticklers
raise their stick aloft to indicate a victory has just been achieved.

A bout always commences with a handshake, but before that an apparently
strange ritual of rolling the jacket up and tucking it under the left arm
takes place [slide 2]. This is to prevent an opponent from gaining an early
advantage by getting a quick free hold on the jacket and effecting an unexpected
throw. My guess is that this ritual was introduced after the first time
a throw called the "flying mare" was effected. more about the throws later.

The handshake communicates to each wrestler that the other is ready
to commence. Wrestling always starts by getting into a "hitch". That is
to say each wrestler takes a firm hold of the other"s jacket at the left
shoulder and right underarm.

From this hitch, each tries to trip, lift or throw his opponent onto
his back in order to achieve a victory [slide 3].

What exactly are the rules of Cornish Wrestling?

As we"ve already seen you must first shake hands, get in a hitch and
not wrestle at all on the ground. As with other styles of wrestling, the
aim in the Cornish manner is to defeat your opponent. To do this you must
either "back" your man or effect a win over him by points. A "back" is
scored when a man has been picked up and dropped flat on his back so that
at least three of his four "pins" hit the ground simultaneously. "Pins"
are the shoulders and hips. A "back" will win a contest whenever it takes
place and the bout is over. As mentioned before, a "back" is signified
by the sticklers raising their sticks straight up in the air. There"s no
arguing or disputing the sticklers" decision.

You score points when a shoulder or hip hits the ground; one point for
one pin and two points for two pins down. If, after a set time, no back
has been scored, the stickers confer and compare the number of pins that
they have recorded. Again, two out of three sticklers can carry the result
in the event that they have not all recorded the same points.

If there is a draw, or no points at all have been scored, the bout will
go to the wrestler who the sticklers considered made the most play; in
other words was the most positive in his attempts.

Points can also be deducted if foul play is observed. Foul moves include
the "cross collar", a choking action applied to the throat by crossing
over the collars and pulling the jacket tight; pressure of the thumbs or
knuckles on the throat; the crowbar hitch, where an arm is passed inside
an opponent"s jacket and used as a lever. No holding is allowed below the
waist, or striking with the foot above the knee. Deliberately touching
the ground with a hand or knee to avoid being thrown is illegal, as is
deliberately slipping out of the jacket. Grips can only take place on the
jacket, It is an offense to grip an opponent"s wrist or fingers. In extreme
cases, sticklers may disqualify a wrestler if they consider that unsporting
or unfair play is made. "Marks" are given against offending wrestlers with
three "marks" resulting in the deduction of a point.

When any part of the body, other than the feet, touches the ground or
the jacket slips off, the hitch is broken and the wrestlers must shake
hands and restart the contest.

What is the history of Cornish Wrestling?

Along with hurling, Cornish Wrestling is the oldest sport indigenous
to Cornwall. Cornish Wrestling goes so far back in time that no one knows
the exact origins of this ancient sport. In his epic work "Historia
Regum Britanniae", written circa 1139, Geoffrey of Monmouth wrote of
a legendary fight between Corineus and the Giant Gogmagog in which the
champion Celtic wrestler, Corineus, throws the last remaining Giant in
Cornwall over a cliff!

Somewhat more reliable are reports of the Cornish contingent at the
battle of Agincourt in 1415, fighting under a banner depicting two wrestlers
in a wrestler"s "hitch". Competitions between Cornwall and Brittany were
first recorded in 1402, though wrestling between these Celtic groups probably
pre-dates this considerably. Woodblock prints from the 1570"s depict the
early evolution of the "wrasslin" jacket.

Who were some of the early champions?

In the early 19th century St Mawgan boasted a champion, Parkyn,
who carried all before him except one, James Polkinghorne, a native of
St Keverne, but is better known in St Columb, my own home town. If we could
turn the clock back to be customers at the Red Lion Hotel in the early
years of the last century, we would have been served by a giant of a man,
the same James Polkinghorne. He was described as having the neck of a bull,
dark curling sideboards, piercing eyes and a determined jaw. There is a
tablet on the roadside wall of the Red Lion commemorating Polkinghorne"s
great match on 23rd October 1826 against Abram Cann, champion
of Devon. This is oldest detailed account of a famous bout I can find.
The match took place at Devonport and ten thousand people are said to have
attended. The result appears inconclusive, though the Devon style, which
was used allowed Cann to were heavy boots soaked in bullock"s blood, with
which he kicked hard at the shins of Polkinghorne, something he would not
have been used to.

Other wrestlers of renown from the St Columb region of this century
have been John and William Capel, the Chapmans, Charlie Warne and Ross
Oliver. Mike Roberts and Dean Henwood have the prestigious honour of being
champions of every weight in Cornish Wrestling. Though he passed away at
a relatively young age, I can remember Uncle Mike wrestling Ross Oliver
and others, including in his last ever fight, against a young man called
Gerry Cawley. Mike won but commented on the skill and strength of the young
man. Twenty-five years later, Gerry is still wrestling and I was pleased
to witness him, two years ago when I was over there, carry off the Middleweight
Championship for the umpteenth time.

What about personal stories?

My favourite is the one where, many years before I was born, they needed
one more wrestler to make up an even number in an open competition. They
were trying to talk my Father into entering. Whist he was an able wrestler,
he was cautious of meeting his younger brother, Mike, who was expected
to win. He agreed as long as the organisers promised to fix the draw so
as he wouldn"t be up against Mike. This they agreed, but it transpired
that both Father and Mike kept winning, such that they were against each
other in the final. This was not what Father had planned but he went ahead
as he had committed himself to the competition. He ordered Mike to go easy
on him, as he had to work the following day. Well, the bout didn"t last
long, Mike won and Father was left with three broken ribs.

How did wrestling come to Australia?

As one might expect, it was during the mass emigration of Cornishmen
to South Africa, North America and Australia during a time when mining
was diminishing in Cornwall and gold was being discovered around the world.
A picture exists of one Professor William Miller from Australia fighting
the American champion Colonel McLaughklin, though no date is identified.
There are records of bouts on the Bedigo goldfields but to the best of
my knowledge no Cornish Wrestling competitions have taken place in Australia
for at least one hundred years This makes the planned open competition
tomorrow a particularly historic event.

What attributes should one possess to be good at Cornish Wrestling?

As one might expect, it is very much a younger man"s sport. Strength,
agility and endurance are required, though it"s certainly not a question
of "the bigger you are the harder it is to throw you". Many of the best
wrestlers have been of a lighter yet strong frame.

A heavier, stronger wrestler is more inclined to rely on "heaves" or
lifts to beat his opponent; while the taller, lighter man will use "crooks"
to trip the other wrestler. In a heave, the other wrestler is literally
heaved up into the air and "planted" on his back. To affect a crook, the
leg is hooked around the leg of the other in order to pull it out from
under the wrestler, tripping him onto his back. Other throws involve knocking
an opponent backwards "the scat n back" or throwing him over the hip "the
vore heap". The infamous "flying mare", referred to earlier, involves catching
hold of the strings of the opponent"s jacket, swinging him right off his
feet and planting his back onto the ground. Defensive techniques such as
sprags can be used to counter an attack.

What is the attraction of Cornish Wrestling?

No festival, fair or formal gathering can fail to be more exiting than
when the day"s festivities are topped off by the determined struggle of
wrestlers, as each calls on all reserves of energy and skill in order to
become the champion of the day.

In these days of Television, computer games and the Internet there is
something fundamentally missing in our lives. I believe it is the ability
to use the resources of our own bodies in the ultimate combat of Cornish
Wrestling.

Colin Roberts, March 2000

References

Dickson, G; The Origins of Cornish Wrestling. Sydney. 1999

Kendall, B; The Art of Cornish Wrestling. Federation of Old Cornwall Societies. 1990

About the author: Colin
Roberts, born in St Columb Cornwall and family were
all Cornish Wrestlers; Colin's Uncle is the long time President of the
Cornish Wrestling Association and his Uncle Mike (now deceased) was one
of only two Cornish Wrestlers to win championships at every weight. Since
emigrating to Australia in 1986, he has given lectures and presentations
to the Cornish Association of Victoria, Australia - including on Cornish
Wrestling.